provenance

/ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/

//ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"provenance" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“provenance” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,955 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#23,955
frequency rank, English
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Place or source of origin.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

provenance vs Provence
70% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for provenance
PropertyValue
Headwordprovenance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#23,955
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “provenance” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). provenance lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for provenance is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,955 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for provenance, with forms such as "porvenance", "pprovenance", and "proevnance". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Provence", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French provenance (“origin”), from Middle French provenant, present participle of provenir (“come forth, arise”), from Latin provenio (“to come forth”). The correct English form is provenance, spelled P-R-O-V-E-N-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Place or source of origin.
  2. 2
    The place and time of origin of some artifact or other object. See Usage notes below.
  3. 3
    The history of ownership of a work of art.
  4. 4
    The copy history of a piece of data, or the intermediate pieces of data used to compute a final data element, as in a database record or web site (data provenance).
  5. 5
    The execution history of computer processes which were used to compute a final piece of data (process provenance).
  6. 6
    Background; history; place of origin.

Etymology

Borrowed from French provenance (“origin”), from Middle French provenant, present participle of provenir (“come forth, arise”), from Latin provenio (“to come forth”).

This word in other languages

procedencia(Español)provenance(Français)Herkunft(Deutsch)procedência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porvenance,pprovenance,proevnance,proveannce,provenacne,provenancce,provenanec,provenannce,provenence,provennace,provennance,provneance,provvenance,prrovenance,prvoenance,rpovenance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of provenance - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porvenance2pprovenance1proevnance2proveannce2provenacne2provenancce1provenanec2provenannce1
Edit distance from "provenance"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "provenance"?
"provenance" is spelled P-R-O-V-E-N-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/.
What does "provenance" mean?
As a noun, "provenance" means: Place or source of origin.
What words are commonly confused with "provenance"?
"provenance" is commonly confused with "Provence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "provenance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "provenance" is /ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "provenance"?
Borrowed from French provenance (“origin”), from Middle French provenant, present participle of provenir (“come forth, arise”), from Latin provenio (“to come forth”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “provenance”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-V-E-N-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɹɒ.və.nəns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Provence” - see the side-by-side comparison. provenance vs Provence
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list